For the past few months I’ve had the family on a bit of a health kick. The plan has been to focus on the usual triad: getting more sleep, taking regular exercise, and carving out time for leisure activities like reading, puzzles, board games, movies, and cooking together. Surprisingly, these simple changes have been difficult to incorporate into our lives but, ever so slowly, we are making progress. Another area I decided to focus on was the family breakfast.
Like most Irish people, we typically start our day with cereal, fruit, yogurt, or a boiled egg and toast. This past autumn, I broadened the options to include homemade muesli, a variety of smoothies, and {my favourite} steel cut oatmeal, known in Ireland as porridge.
Until recently I never gave much thought to porridge. I knew it came as rolled, quick-cook and steel-cut/pinhead oats and that the latter is said to be the healthiest option because it is higher in fiber, both insoluble and soluble. I also knew, and I’m not meaning to go too deep here, that scientific research suggests soluble fiber, in particular, lowers cholesterol and may help lower the risk of heart disease for men and women alike. Otherwise, all I’ve known about porridge was that my late father-in-law ate it nearly every morning of his post-career life, giving it near “legendary” status in the McGuire clan…but that’s a story for another day’s telling.
I have since learned porridge is an ancient food made from oat groats. It has been grown in Ireland for thousands of years because the oat, a rain tolerant grain, grows well in our climate. It has been known as Stirabout but I’ve never heard my friends, or even my lovely mother-in-law, call it that nor have I seen it mentioned in modern cookbooks as such. Long ago, if made with water in an almost soup-like consistency, it was known as Skilly or Gruel, and would have been eaten at supper. And, one thing that seems to have remained fairly consistent throughout time is how porridge has, for the most part, been prepared: boiled with water or milk and served with a bit of cream, sugar, honey, seeds, or fruit on top.
There are oat mills still in existence in Ireland and many oatmeal brands. Perhaps the most internationally recognised one is McCann’s Steel Cut Oatmeal, but it is no longer Irish owned. My favourite is Flahavan’s Pinhead, which has been milled by the Flahavan family in Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford for more than 200 years. Macroom Oatmeal is another brand. It is less well-known but has, most notably, been served at Ballymaloe House for many years and is for sale at the Ballymaloe Cookery School and on their website. It is has an almost cult-like following so, as soon as possible, I will try it and give you the scoop.
Until then, I wish you and your family all the good health that my little family has enjoyed these past few months. Let me know what you are doing to keep healthy this year. Be well!
Traditional Irish Porridge
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup/7oz steel cut (or pinhead) oats
4 cups/2 pints water, milk or half of each, whichever you prefer
Directions
1. The night before, bring the water to a rapid boil.
2. Slowly add the oatmeal, mixing all the time, and bring the water back to the boil.
3. Turn off heat, cover and leave to set overnight.
4. Next morning, add more water (or milk), stir and reheat.
5. Top with toasted nuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, golden syrup, honey, fruit, cream, milk or whatever you desire.
Related articles:
From Atlantic Monthly Magazine: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2009/06/irelands-renowned-oatmeal/19125/
A bit of history about Irish porridge at http://culinarytravels.co.uk/2010/10/22/porridge/
Some history about Flahavan’s Oat Mill at http://culinarytravels.co.uk/2010/10/22/porridge/
About Macroom Oatmeal Mill at http://www.ireland-guide.com/establishment/macroom-oatmeal-mills.10857.html
Good write-up. Here’s to porridge, and a strong cup of coffee!
John Asa Saldivar
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I only came back from Ireland last week and had porridge every where I could get it. After getting home, I began the search for Irish Porridge. I found McCann`s steel cut oatmeal in our local grocery store and proudly brought it home. I followed the recipe to a T and was sorely disappointed the next day when my oatmeal did not taste the way it did in Ireland. I don`t understand why my oatmeal is not as smooth and creamy as it was when I had it there. What am I doing wrong? I want that oatmeal and I can`t be flying back and forth all the time to get it. Can someone help me? Please? Sincerely, Susan M. Agnew
Hi Susan. Thanks you for visiting In an Irish Home and for writing in with your question. We love porridge for breakfast in our home, especially with the cooler mornings. If the problem you’re having is with smoothness/creaminess, you may try one of two things: 1) start your porridge the night before…put the water and steal cut oatmeal in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover your pot with a lid, and leave over night. The next morning, add more water, stir up the cooked porridge, and heat again. The more water you add, the smoother/creamier the porridge gets. 2) Alternatively, you could try making your porridge with milk…though this is not the way porridge is traditionally made in Ireland. I truly think the problem you’re having will be solved when you add more water. Steal cut oatmeal can handle a surprising amount of liquid. Give it another go and let me know how you get on. If it doesn’t work out this next time, write back and let me know how much water to oatmeal you’re using. All the best! Kim
Hi KIm, Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I have been experimenting all week and my sister, Patti, is as well. Patti was to Ireland in 2011 and returned with great reviews about the oatmeal. When I got back, I also loved the oatmeal. That is where you came into the picture. I relayed your message to Patti and we both attempted to make creamy oatmeal. I started a pot on Monday evening. (My second attempt) I stood at my stove, continuously stirring 1 cup of Steel Cut oats with 4 cups of water, for 30 minutes. I covered the pot and left it overnight. The next morning, I returned the pot to the stove and added more water(1 cup). Stirred again and had a bowl. It was okay but not as creamy as I wanted. Returned pot to fridge. Added 1 more cup to oatmeal the next morning, Repeat of the day before. The last day, I added 1 cup of milk and the oatmeal looked much more like it did in Ireland. It was also creamier but still had small lumps in it. Perhaps the oatmeal I had also had small lumps in it and I really didn’t notice. Anyway, my problem is that I don’t always have all this time to prepare breakfast. My sister didn’t fare much better than I did.
I also wanted to point out a small error in your Autumn vegetable soup. I made the soup and it was delicious and I pureed it. The recipe has 5 cups of stock when you mention Darina Allen’s method but in the actual recipe, it says”5 liters” of stock. I thought you might have already noticed it but that I could mention it in case you hadn’t the time. Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it so much.
Ta, Susan M.Agnew
Hi Susan. Lovely to hear back from you. I’m stumped as to why you’re struggling to make a creamy bowl of porridge like you had when you visited Ireland. You are definitely working very hard at it! I really never stand over my pot continuously stirring! If I had to, I’d never bother making it for breakfast. Just for you, I made porridge again last night as per my blog post to be sure I didn’t leave anything out. Sure enough…the recipe and technique worked perfectly again. I even checked my Irish cookbooks looking for different cooking instructions. All of them are the same as mine. Are you sure you’re adding four cups of water to one cup of steel cut oats? Lack of liquid is the only thing I can think of that may be causing you problems. You seemed to have some success with milk…perhaps you should try using milk only??
Also, thank you for giving me the heads up on the 5 litres vs 5 cups! Goodness…I need an editor!
Best wishes to you. Kim
My family just returned from Ireland last week, and I’m already anxious to return for what will be my third visit. I have to say, I eat McCann’s steel cut oats all the time and serve them to my children proudly. They are good, but when I had a good bowl of porridge in Ireland, it was super creamy and made with rolled oats, not steel-cut ones. I tried to duplicate at home with Flavahan’s “porridge oats” and got a very similar result to what I had in Ireland, much creamier than any other oatmeal I’ve had, steel-cut or rolled. So happy to have discovered these! Just my two cents 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to Ireland. Cheers!
[…] *** For an easy-to-make, and delicious, recipe for traditional Irish steel cut porridge, please click here. […]
My 83 year old mum still calls it stirabout ( stirbut) and swears by the qualities of porridge ….will have to check out these Irish porridge brands…thanks for the blog..
Hi Martin…thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Your mum is absolutely right…stirabout is another name for porridge. I hope you do try the Irish porridge brands, they are wonderful. Please stop by again and leave another message. All the best! Kim